Gareshk, Helmand Northwest Afghanistan where Lance Corporal Adam Smith survived a bullet to the face.

The British troops came under heavy fire while on foot patrol by the Taliban fighters in Gareshk, Helmand Northwest Afghanistan.

The footage can be seen from The Sun website. The footage was given to the British News Agency after their correspondent joined the British soldiers in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Adam Smith from the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment and several colleagues were on foot patrol when they were attacked by Taliban fighters from three directions.

The 23-year-old was seen dropping to the ground and firing at the areas where the Taliban militants were.

Several minutes of gun fights ensued before Smith was seen on camera turning his head to the back saying “I’ve been hit!”

Several of his colleagues then rushed to his aid shouting “man down!”

While Smith was on the floor, dust was seen going into the air just feet’s away from his head while the Taliban militants continued to fire.

Remarkably, Smith from Ellesmere Port, Merseyside, survived the attack and was on patrol just hours later after receiving a few stitches.

Blood was seen in the face of the Lance Corporal which had frightened the soldiers as the injury to Smith was thought to have been much worse.

Fortunately, It is thought that the bullet had ricochets of an object and gave Smith a flesh wound.

The Sun reported that the soldiers of B-Company (Malta), 1 Mercians, have lost nine men in just five weeks and 12 seriously injured including limbs being blown off.

The area where B-Company is in, is a highly hostile area with Taliban militants and allies constantly attacking British, US and NATO troops.

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The members of the 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, who were attacked while on a joint patrol with Afghan forces near Sangin, Helmand province, are expected to be formally named later today.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the soldiers were on foot patrol at the time of the explosion, in which two Afghan National Army soldiers also died.

News of yesterday’s fatalities came after the first of 500 extra British troops arrived in Afghanistan and Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced a package of cutbacks in core defence programmes to fund £900 million of new equipment for troops in the country.

The deaths brought the total number of British service personnel to have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001 to 239. There have been 102 deaths this year alone.

Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: “It is with deep sadness I must inform you that two British soldiers were killed this afternoon near Sangin in northern Helmand province.

“They were both from 3rd Battalion, The Rifles. They will be sorely missed by us, their comrades, but their sacrifice will not be forgotten.”

The MoD was unable to confirm local reports that the soldiers died after two suicide bombers on a motorcycle attacked a military convoy.

An MoD statement added: “During the course of a joint Afghan National Army and International Security Assistance Force security patrol, designed to reassure local Afghans, two British soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, The Rifles were killed as a result of a suspected suicide improvised explosive device explosion.”